Diplomat given 72 hours to leave as Mexico condemns missile launches

The North Korean ambassador and President Peña Nieto when relations were more cordial.

Mexico has expelled the North Korean ambassador in response to that country’s recent nuclear tests.

The government declared in a statement that ambassador Kim Hyong Gil was persona non grata and gave him 72 hours to leave the country.

It said the expulsion was to express its “absolute rejection” of North Korea’s nuclear activity, describing it as “a grave threat to peace and international security and a growing threat to nations of the region, including fundamental allies of Mexico such as Japan and South Korea.”

Mexico joins many other countries in condemning North Korea for repeated missile launches in recent weeks, one as recent as Sunday.

The United States has been urging other countries to cut diplomatic and economic ties and wants tighter economic sanctions.

But Mexico won’t go that far, according to an official at the Foreign Affairs Secretariat, who told Reuters that the government is not breaking diplomatic ties with North Korea.

Source:mexiconewsdaily.com